Immunotherapy has dramatically improved outcomes for cancer patients. A single injection of gene-modified immune cells equipped with a therapeutic receptor that targets cancer cells can cure several cancer types originating from blood cells.
However, the success of gene therapy has not yet been extended to other cancer types, where two major challenges are i) difficulties in identifying safe target molecules and efficacious immune receptors that recognize them, and ii) immune-suppressive mechanisms in the tumor.
Our approach involves utilizing the immune system of healthy donors to overcome these challenges, and discovering new categories of therapeutic targets that are common among many patients. We will further enhance precision immunotherapy by using advanced computational tools and experimental methods to identify specific cell types and their interactions within the tumor.
By coupling gene-modified immune cells with novel agents that neutralize tumor defense mechanisms, we aspire to develop the next generation cancer therapy. The most promising therapeutic strategies will be scaled-up and put to the test in first-in-man clinical trials, utilizing our new infrastructure dedicated to advanced cell and gene therapy.